


SILENT LOVE: REWRITTEN

by CorvusCrow, TheLastingLegacy



Series: Ocean Lovers [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Affection, Angst, Babies, Boys are very sad, Childbirth, Egg Laying, Eventual Happy Ending, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Mpreg, Intersex Species, Isolation, M/M, Marine Mammals, Mermaids, Mild Smut, Parenthood, Romance, Slow Burn, m/m - Freeform, people suck, soft, strange biology, touch starved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:54:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29641950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusCrow/pseuds/CorvusCrow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLastingLegacy/pseuds/TheLastingLegacy
Summary: Ocean waves crashed upon the sandy shores with a mighty roar, soaking into the sands as it withdrew. A cycle of repetition, a soothing cycle many found comfort in. The sound of the waves, the water flowing around their feet before pulling back, the scent of the salty air that filled their nostrils. There were many reasons people found it comforting, even with the fearful unknown that was it’s depth.From within the walls, within the glass of the aquariums, any remnants of the ocean had been lost. Sure, you could replicate the waters, but you could not replicate the freedom it brought to many of it’s underwater residents.After fifteen years in this Aquarium, Daniel dreams to be free.As does the one across from him.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Ocean Lovers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170353
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	SILENT LOVE: REWRITTEN

* * *

_  
The ocean waves crashed upon the sandy shores with a mighty roar, soaking into the sands as it withdrew. A cycle of repetition, a soothing cycle many found comfort in. The sound of the waves, the water flowing around their feet before pulling back, the scent of the salty air that filled their nostrils. There were many reasons people found it comforting, even with the fearful unknown that was it’s depth._ _  
__  
__From within the walls, within the glass of the aquariums, any remnants of the ocean had been lost. Sure, you could replicate the waters, but you could not replicate the freedom it brought to many of it’s underwater residents. Fish were simple minded, but the larger animals such as the sea lions, dolphins, killer whales, they missed the ocean, never meant to be held within small water filled tanks, often to perform for the entertainment of others, or to be gawked at by the eyes of many._ _  
__  
__A particular resident of the aquarium was no exception to these rules._  
  


* * *

  
  
The seats of the stadium were quick to fill up for that afternoons show. Rows of people (mainly with children) awaited eagerly for the performance that was to be put on for them while staff prepared and got their treat buckets filled.  
  
A child sat next to an adult woman, legs swinging off the edge of the seat as he looked over to her.  
  
“Is the show soon?”  
  
“Yes yes, just wait a few moments longer, okay? We came early for good seats.” She assured her boy, giving him a hair ruffle, to which on instinct he pulled away from with a whine. The young boy’s attention was now back to the waters, the rows filled with the murmuring of people with faded music over the intercom systems. A member of the staff, in a wet suit of course, soon came out onto the small stage surrounding the pool with a wave of their arms and a smile on their face. The crowds would hush and some would begin to clap as they would say:  
  
“Welcome to the afternoon show everyone!” The woman would yell out, continuing her welcoming waves. 

“I hope you are all prepared for one of the most unique performances on earth! My name is Sam, and I will be your host tonight- and my lovely companion- “ She continued, with a massive harbour seal hoisting themselves out of the waters. The little boy’s eyes lit up in excitement at seeing such a creature so close in the flesh.  
“- Flippard! Say hello Flippard!” Sam would cheer, with the harbour seal giving a loud call as his body would bounce.

“Now, I want to say thank you to everyone who has attended today. All money from the tickets help fund the Mare Vitae

Research facility, and allows for us to make changes for our oceans, as well as allow the aquarium to host these fun little shows! Now without further ado- let’s get this party started! What do you say, Flippard?” Sam would ask her seal companion, children giggling as the seal gave a huff and flopped onto his side. 

“Awe Flippard, don’t give me that attitude!” Sam would say with a shake to her head before looking to the crowds of children and adults alike. 

“I need your help to get Flippard excited for tonight's show! Come on everybody!” Sam would then demand of the crowds, to which they replied with excited cheers and cries.  
  
And what a show it was. The boy was totally mesmerized and on the edge of his seat for all of it. Seals balancing upon balls and doing tricks in the waters, with Sam herself sitting upon the back of a dolphin as it did rounds around the pool. The pair would leap from the waters with Sam flush to the dolphins back, soaring through a narrow red hoop and the crowds would excitedly cheer.  
  
But that was not the peak of the performance. There was a reason every show had been sold out for the little aquarium for nearly two whole summers, all thanks to a small donation from the Mare Vitae research facility. All the money that came in from the new addition wasn’t something the aquarium couldn’t deny, and so Mare Vitae slowly slipped into full ownership and control of the aquarium by the end of the first summer.  
  
“Now, we always save the best for last! I hope you all enjoyed meeting my sea friends!” Sam would yell to the crowds as Flippard the seal gave a bow of his head before being coaxed off the stage by a bucket of herring. The lights would then dim, a spotlight focusing upon the centre of the water.  
  
“This is it! Oh oh-” the boy would gasp, clutching the woman’s arm with such innocent glee. This was the part he was most excited for, to see what the buzz had been about, why his small town always became so full of life in those three summer months.  
  
The fast rumble of a drum would build the tension, it was becoming too much- the boy could barely keep still in his seat.There it was, jumping straight out of the waters, the spotlight reflecting off of it’s shimmering scales...  
  
 _A mermaid._ _  
__  
_The crowd absolutely went wild to see such a creature of fantasy right before their very eyes. With the upper half eerily human, slowly changing below the navel into a sheet of scales. The bold thin stripes of reddish-orange against white covered them, with spiny fins protruding down the back. They also had Lionfish like spines upon their head, giving the illusion of a crown. It seemed to be a very particular mermaid...they were a partial leucistic. With bold splotches of white with no pattern travelling down their scaled length, and strands of hair of the same bold white against the rest of the dark reddish brown. The way they traversed the water with such a mighty display of fins only made it more whimsical.

But the boy did not share the same excitement. Rather, the child paled considerably with an ache in his chest, an ache of pity for the mermaid as they would swim up quietly to the stage, pulling themselves up for the world to see. Only then did their sheer size become realized. They sat with a two foot height difference when compared to Sam who stood beside them. From the tip of its tail to the top of their head...that was nearly ten feet! The mermaid’s webbed palm was bigger than her entire head.  
  
Very quickly the entire stadium filled with the flashes of cameras as the mermaid looked out to nowhere in particular, their discoloured eyes blank of anything. It would perform without fault just like the dolphins and seals, used as a means of entertainment for the crowds.  
  
“What you’re seeing isn’t movie magic, it is real! Welcome to the only mermaid show in the world!” Sam would cheer, tossing a fish up into the air, to which the mermaid caught with their teeth as they flipped back into the waters. 

“From what we know, there might be many more mermaids of all shapes and sizes, but do not worry young ones. The Mare Vitae research facility is quick to work on finding our wonderful friend a mate. We want to learn everything we can about them, and we found out they love to perform for people!” She would grin.  
  
The mermaid would go around the pool, jumping out of the waters and diving back down, people crying out and laughing as some got splashed by the swish of their tail.  
  
“They seem excited for tonight's show! Don’t they?”  
  
“Auntie Jane-” The boy would squeak out as he tugged on her shirt. She looked over, startled by the boy’s saddened and fearful look.  
  
“Oh, What’s wrong dear? Aren’t you having fun? I thought you would be excited to see a mermaid.”  
  
“No- it’s- I don’t think they like it Auntie. They look sad.”  
  
“Oh? I think they look fine.” She spoke as she looked ahead to the performance. “It’s a sea creature, just like the fish and dolphins. Without the aquarium, we would never see such amazing things.”  
  
“But- it should be in the ocean!” the boy would squeak with this frantic urgency, clutching her shirt tightly.  
  
“All of the animals should be in their homes, William. But it does no harm to them, okay? Look-” She insisted, to which the boy would turn to see the Mermaid jump out of the water and twirl with elegance on command.  
“If they didn’t want to, they could stop at any time.”  
  
That left the boy feeling a little more at ease with the performance, maybe even smiling a little at the end. With the performance over, the mermaid would wave to the crowds, looking at all of them with a vacant expression as children eagerly waved back, yelling in their excitement. Before they knew it, he vanished into the waters of the pool, and Sam was quick to finish it off with a final speech.  
  
“Thank you everyone for attending! But now is the time to say goodbye. I’m afraid the mermaid isn’t a part of our regular exhibit just yet. But they should be soon! I hope to see you all again next summer...at the Fisherdale Aquarium!”

* * *

  
  
“They’re finally retiring him, huh?”  
  
“Yep. He’s getting too slow to keep up with the other performers. I think it’s about time he gets a good retirement.”  
  
The pair of men were carefully hoisting up the unconscious merman with fine mesh nets to be transferred. Thankfully they were sedated, or the move would not be so smooth.  
  
“They’ve figured out as much as they could about em, and they got a few new fresh ones to study to get better data.”  
  
“Yeah..I’m gonna miss seeing Daniel around the lab though. He’s a quick thing ain’t he?” The staff member would chuckle, carefully lowering the massive mermaid into the much smaller tank on wheels. “He was always so curious, peering over the shoulders of the biologists when they had their backs turned and writing away on those clipboards of theirs. I wonder if he could read.”  
  
“Why the hell would he know how to read? Do mermaids have books?” The other would joke back, with the pair moving to either end of the transport tank to begin pushing it out of the lab and down the darkened hall. It was after hours, of course, so no one could disturb them.  
  
“But I’m sure he figured out how to understand us in those fifteen years...I just think he’s gotten old and wants none of our shit.”  
  
“He’ll be spoiled rotten now at least. Get a nice big enclosure with a lot of places to hide. It’s a shame we never found him a mate.”  
  
“It was too dangerous to see if he would do well with another subspecies, I think that’s what they decided. Fifteen years and they never caught another one like em…”  
  
“I guess we were lucky that we found any at all, huh? They have what- six?”  
  
“Seven, a new one was caught yesterday. They’re being put in the enclosure across from Daniel here in a week, the mermaids seem to do a little better in these nicer enclosures. I guess that means no permanent residents in the lab anymore.”  
  
“I think it’s for the best. Poor bud was the first and so he had to suffer from all their mistakes.”  
  
Slowly, the pair took the specialized elevator to get above the many tanks that lined these halls, gently pushing Daniel over towards the vacant enclosure. The top of the tank slid back with the press of a button, and the lid of the transport tank was opened.  
  
“Alright, let’s get him in.”  
  
The pair would work to carefully hook the bottom of the tank to a mechanical contraption, which would slowly lift, and move the tank over the waters. The bottom would open up at the surface, and Daniel would make his slow descent into his new home.  
  
“He ain’t floatin, so he ain’t dead. Let’s get back and clean up. I gotta try and get home on time for once.” One man would chuckle and the pair would leave as the top of the enclosure would close.  
  
“Alright Alright- I’ll make sure to tell William to check on him first thing tomorrow morning.” 

  
With the staff gone, Daniel would awaken an hour later. He was slow, and terribly groggy. Giving a slow blink as he moved to sit up, with the first thing he noticed being the coarse sand between his fingers. He looked down quickly, hands slowly closing in over it, and feeling it between his fingers.  
  
Sand...it was _sand._

How long had it been since he had seen sand? He looked up and saw coral reefs gently swaying in the ‘moonlight’ that shone down from above, and he shot up. Still slow from the sedatives, he swam over, looking up to see the endless horizon beyond this small reef. His heart raced, and his eyes went wide as he went to swim out into the open for the first time since his capture.  
  
And he ran into the wall headfirst, flinching as he brought his hands up to his head, slowly sinking back down into the sands.  
  
What..? What was this? 

The haze of sedatives could only fog his thoughts so much as grim reality settled back in. He hadn't been freed, but merely moved somewhere new. 

With painful awareness of the new barrier, he urged his slow limbs to move and swam along with a hand pressed to what he had learned long ago was glass. It led him in a large circle with the false reef looming high in the centre. It was different, but whether it was better…  
He shook his head. There was no point in mulling over it. He had already wasted enough of his time and energy waiting for something better to come. 

Having seen all that the "open" water had to offer, Daniel turned his attention to what appeared to be a resting place formed within the bright coral and rock. He was awake, but he couldn't shake the all too familiar drag of sedatives. He took his small victory in easing his body to the sand, his long hair flowing down with him as he closed his eyes and ignored the ache in his heart.  
  
It was better than the blank tanks of the labs. They were empty, with a mere aqua blue backdrop being all he really had for comfort of any sort.

* * *

  
Morning would come, with William at the front doors going through his mess of keys to find the right ones to get in. Man had a simple and tight schedule. Always sure to be inside by 7:30am, and have the feedings for the biggest water mammals and mermaids done first. They needed several feeds through the day, so it was best to give the first before operating hours. (They would be awfully crabby otherwise.)  
  
William had gotten a text just that night to go check on Daniel first, and so he went on his way as he fixed his little name-tag onto his clothes and slipped into the backrooms. He would go into the many feeding tanks, overcrowded with small fishes and shrimps such as herring and anchovies. With his metal bucket full, he made his way to Daniel’s tank, wanting to curiously peer in at eye level first before going above.  
  
If he was honest, William had his eyes on Daniel for quite some time now. Something felt particularly different to him about that mermaid, the way he looked at you, maybe.  
  
It was no surprise that Daniel was totally hidden when he got there, not a single fin in view. It was impressive how such a large creature could hide so well, and fast too.  
  
“Hm..I hope you at least _kinda_ like it in there…” William would mumble to himself before he moved away to quickly go above through the back doors. The cover to the circular enclosure would move back with it’s mechanical whir, and William would carefully toss in the first fish. The herring immediately darted to the bottom of the tank, giving jittery movement before slowing down to a calmer pattern of swimming.  
  
William didn’t want to dunk the entire bucket full if Daniel wasn’t interested. It was rare, but there had been cases of damage being caused by these smaller fish in a panic of self defence, and Daniel was already busted enough as is. With colours faded and fins torn, William would never hear the end of it if Daniel was mauled by his own prey.  
  
And so, William would wait, taking a seat and peering down below, waiting for Daniel to come out.

The mermaid was aware in an instant of the small fish thrashing as it was dropped into his waters. He had never been one to rush for his meals. It didn't matter how fast the fish swam when they were both contained. It was a sorry excuse for a hunt. 

Daniel peered out, knowing someone was above him watching, always watching. The angry flutter of his raising spines was subconscious as he unfolded himself from his only hiding place. One of the spines that made up his crown was askew from his run in with the glass in the night, not that it looked out of place with the rest of him. Should he return to the ocean, he was certain he would be mistaken for the elders of his kind rather than a young adult. 

The herring never stood a chance.

Daniel darted out in what felt like a lazy motion, but to any human eye was a deadly fast strike. The poor fish was caught between his sharp teeth in an instant and he swallowed it whole. His fins slowly fanned out as he brought his gaze to the shimmering waterline above him.

William was quick to pull back before he fell into Daniel's gaze, slowly moving to grab the bucket, and gently toss in another fish. Getting up close and personal with mermaids was extremely dangerous. Even after fifteen years of research, little was truly known about them. 

William would peer a little more over as he would watch the show, adding another fish every time Daniel took one out until the entire bucket was empty.

There had been a time when Daniel was picky about his meals, or ignored them altogether. It was a fight he had long lost purpose in. Snapping up the offered fish was a routinely bland affair, but it did him well to avoid the misery of an empty stomach.

With the last herring filling his belly, he gave a snap of his tail and slunk back within his hiding place. He had no want for studying the space beyond his tank. Exploring his new waters had taken a mere moment and seeing the outside world would come whether he wished it to or not. He possessed nothing but time, yet held no means to pass it by.

William expected as much. Daniel was never one for show like the few other mermaids. The top of the enclosure would close, and William went en route per the schedule. Everyone who needed to be fed was fed, and the aquarium would open up by the time most of the other staff had arrived for their shift that day.  
  
Of course, news of Daniel finally being out on display after his long career, was one of the first things people would see. A grand poster showing the mermaid in his prime. But alas, advertising was always deceiving. But it was the first day, and so many people rushed to gather before his enclosure. Eagerly, people peered through the glass, attempting to get any glimpses they could of the famous performer. He was not only the first;  
  
But the best.  
  
Very few had matched the excitement and skill of Daniel, so it was no surprise to see the crowd was so large. The entire hallway was nearly impossible to traverse and the hum of talking was strong enough to breach the mermaid's tank. 

Had it calmed, Daniel could have easily ignored the commotion, but there was no end. The glass was alive with the vibration of voices and the pinging of touching hands over and over again. A peaceful retirement for the performer indeed.

The incessant echos through the water quickly drove him past the point of stubborn hiding. He needed a lull, a moment of peace, anything at all. And so, the lionfish emerged from the reef and into the view of people at last. 

He looked like a mere shadow of the photo that had been plastered on posters. Daniel's colors had faded more from being placed in a new tank and every little tear in his fins and spine coverings were on full display. They could be hidden in a fast pace show, but now they were free to be scrutinized by all.

It should have been sad, a tragic sight to behold. But instead, people were in awe. He looked to be ancient and alive well beyond his years, leaving an intense fascination in the eyes of those who did not fear the unkindly appearance. Little kids banged on the glass to try and get his attention to wave or yell out to him (If they weren’t pulled back by parents) and a few adults excitedly spoke among themselves.  
  
“He’s a beautiful thing, isn’t he?”  
  
“He really is- I love the enclosure! I bet he feels right at home.”  
  
“Oh- he has the face of a charmer, but his eyes look so sad.”  
  
“It must be due to age. Still...is it wrong to say a fish is handsome?”  
  
“Oh shush Luciel, do you want your husband to hear you?”  
  
All sorts of conversation Daniel could not understand would rattle his peace. The crowds only got bigger as staff attempted to enforce the rules. But alas, they only added to it. Yelling out to parents and people alike to step back from the glass, some even had to go as far as to pull people back and attempt to hush them as well. Children were either squealing or crying, and it was loud enough the mermaid pairs on either side of Daniel too were getting stressed. It wasn’t even that long into the morning hours of operation and hell was breaking loose. Daniel was too some an idol from their childhood, a piece of their memories they cherished greatly.  
  
Others saw him as a celebrity. Hell, even a Savior of the town, bringing it life and filling it with tourists from all around.  
  
But then there was the small, but loud group that felt he should’ve never been taken out of the ocean in the first place. They too helped the staff, but would begin to preach their own message of anger and desire for change. This grand reveal of the town hero was the perfect opportunity to spread their message.  
  
But it wasn’t like the staff controlled what was and wasn’t in the tanks. 

In the background of it all, Daniel sunk down to the comforting sands. His spines slowly swayed in the current and his hair flowed about him. It was difficult to ignore the flurry of pings in his head, instinct driving him to be alert of every tiny vibration. He hoped it would be over soon. The shows only went for so long, surely the crowd would dissipate shortly. They could see him now and were free to stare.

He allowed his gaze to wander as he waited, finally looking past the confines of the glass and the faces staring back at him. 

There wasn't much.

More large tanks spanned his line of sight, some with fish and others with more like him. He had intended to find something to focus upon, but he only found himself disheartened. He lowered his head as his hands clutched at the sand beneath him and closed his eyes.

Daniel found himself suffering (quite literally) during operating hours. 

* * *

After about a week or so, things seemed to be settling down. Daniel was terribly lucky to have been transferred mere weeks before the end of August. So after that point, most large groups would be children on field trips. But otherwise, it would be nearly empty most days of the week. Feedings were done every day before 9am, then again at 3pm, and lastly at 9pm. His new enclosure was for sure much more luxurious than the box of white he had been in before. The waters swirled and the plant life danced along with it. The lighting would slowly change to match the time of day. It was obvious how much effort had gone into it to make it feel as if he never truly left the ocean. But being confined to a space of only twenty meters circumference was nowhere close to the endless vastness of the sea. Scientists were still unsure of the migration patterns of his kind. Some did travel from sea to sea while others were perfectly content to nestle into the same bay for their entire lives. Fifteen years seems like a long time, but it does not match the nearly fifty to seventy years dedicated to solely studying a single creature. A lot was still left in the unknown. 

It was after hours, Daniel was left awaiting his final meal before the aquarium would totally empty. The odd human went by sweeping the floors and wiping the glass of the hundreds of little hand prints that had been plastered on that day. The interest in Daniel was wearing out with his slow and reclusive nature not exactly the most exciting to watch. The tank directly across from him had been entirely empty besides the coral life and long seaweed that nestled in the centre, their green lengths almost touching the surface. Daniel’s dinner was dropped in to frantically swim about.

Then, a mermaid was dropped into the waters across from him. The iridescent scales of the newcomer immediately drew Daniel's gaze. They stood out sharply against the darker hues of the enclosure, hair a shimmery golden blonde, which curled softly around their head. Daniel paused in his hunt as he approached the glass for the first time since his transfer, watching silently as the mermaid before him gracefully swam down, and looked up.

Their blue eyes locked with his heterochromatic ones, and they were still. 

**Author's Note:**

> So if you haven't guessed, there is gonna be quite a few changes to this story. Me and my Wife have improved greatly upon our skills and are very happy to give this story a new life. To be quick for future updates the biggest changes are:
> 
> \- More general details of the would around the Aquarium. 
> 
> \- Our mission is to attempt to write this out as realistically as possible in terms to how aquariums and research facilities function. No more people being nasty for no reason.
> 
> \- smoothing out the more rushed sections of the story, adding in two more characters to help with the push and flow. 
> 
> \- Then the most obvious, the change of Daniel's partner from a Betta based mermaid to a Blue-Green Chromis, so they are both of the salt water Variety. 
> 
> Well, that's everything. I feel this version is likely going to be double the length of the original, and I currently have my second story going, so expect a good couple of weeks between chapters.
> 
> See you all in the next update!
> 
> Corvus and Legacy.


End file.
